Home Care In Alyth Bonny Brook, AB

When you think of a Barley Belt, you’re probably thinking of a rich, fertile black-earthed stretch of Alberta farmland.

It doesn’t really conjure up images of Calgary’s light industrial areas. Yet that’s exactly where you’ll find this Barley Belt.

Six Calgary craft breweries are currently in an area between 34 and 46 Avenues and 1 and 11 Streets in the city’s southeast. Several more, including Alberta’s first cidery and a distillery, are also expected to take up residence shortly.

It’s not on 17 Ave SW. It’s not Inglewood or Kensington. It’s the Manchester Industrial, Highfield and Alyth-Bonnybrook-Manchester areas of Calgary. You wouldn’t consider this to be one of Calgary’s trendy areas… yet.

Eric Daponte, Village Brewery’s marketing and taproom coordinator, said the collaborative nature of this city’s craft brewers led to the Barley Belt being conceived, the seed of an idea planted during a Jane’s Walk.

Daponte said with the new breweries popping up within a pint glass throw of Village, he saw an occasion to bring people down to an area largely untapped by Calgarians.

“I kind of saw an opportunity to show how close these breweries were to each other, and how this area that was previously unexplored was gaining this kind of new life,” Daponte said.

The initial Jane’s Walk partnered Village Brewery and Banded Peak Brewery – and then Annex Ale Project was added in as the walk landed on that brewery’s opening weekend. More than 80 people showed up for that initial tour.

“That was kind of the pinnacle event where us three sat down and said this could definitely become a thing,” Daponte said.

“(We thought) We’d really like to work together on bringing people down to the area for the beer and other businesses. Why go solo when we could get people together to come to check out all of them?”

(Note: The first iteration of the Barley Belt walk did involve Inglewood breweries Cold Garden Beverage Company and High Line Brewing, Daponte said.)

A number of factors led to Manchester and Highfield popping up as Calgary’s newest hotbed for brewers, going back nearly five years. The history of provincial government changes is well documented in boosting the craft brewing industry from 19 listed breweries in 2013 to an expected 80 by the end of 2018.

Production-capacity changes and brewer subsidies were the catalyst for the provincial boom, but a slumping economy and vacant space with low rents were the spark needed to yield a new crop of brewers in these southeast Calgary industrial areas.

YYC Beer Week starts today and runs until June 10. Visit www.yycbeerweek.com for more info

One of the most attractive aspects of the industrial location for Annex Ale Project co-owners Erica O’Gorman and Andrew Bullied was the physical space. It was ready made for their operation’s scale and left room for expansion.

“We’re able to expand our volume without expanding our square footage,” said Bullied.

And although you wouldn’t see it on the surface, this area epitomizes the adage: Location, location, location.

“We’re close to Stanley Park, which has one of the biggest bike path networks in North America, we have the (39 Ave) train station right here, we’re within Car2Go, those were all huge considerations for us,” he said.

“The accessibility of this location was huge. We had to turn down a lot of locations because they were inaccessible.”

O’Gorman said Banded Peaks owner Colin McLean, who had seen how brewers during East Vancouver’s Hop Circuit brought the bike community in for tours, suggested with Calgary’s burgeoning cycling scene they should do the same.

“We were like, ‘why not just host a party once a year, open our doors, have cheap beers, some of (the money) goes to charity, people can come listen to music, eat some food and create more of a neighbourhood feeling to the area,’” O’Gorman said.

Later this week: Brewers, commuters advocate for improved transportation infrastructure in “dead zone”

But it doesn’t stop there.

McLean, who has a background in urban planning, said his unique experience has made it fun to be a part of changing the face of a neighbourhood.

“It’s an area that’s typically been industrial, but not heavy industrial – auto mechanics, parts stores – so not exactly the sexiest kind of shops or boutique stores,” he said.

“The breweries have come in and changed the texture of the neighbourhood. It’s unpolished compared to other neighbourhoods in Calgary. It offers something different that your average Calgarian hasn’t seen if they haven’t been to Vancouver or Portland.”

McLean said he sees the breweries as an addition to the neighbourhood, and that perhaps they can bring a different clientele to the area for existing businesses to thrive.

There are changes to the neighbourhood. More are to come. Specialty brewers are entering the Barley Belt, giving more reason for suds fans to come down to the southeast.

All three of these Calgary craft brewers expect the change to go beyond the beverage industry, too. They expect small shops, boutique restaurants and a whole new economy to penetrate the Manchester and Highfield areas, drawing even more traffic to the area.

They also credit the collaborative-but-competitive environment they have created for the area’s continued success.

“One of the biggest things about this industry is how friendly it is and how collaborative it is, even though we are competitors,” Daponte said.

“People really responded to how friendly we were and how we were changing this dynamic of how we were so cutthroat to other businesses.”

The neighbourhoods of Manchester and Highfield are undergoing change. The dynamic of the beer business has changed.

One thing hasn’t changed: There’s beer. And lots of it.

Bono Coffee Roasters, which currently has a location in Calgary’s Alyth/Bonnybrook/Manchester area, is opening a second location in Bridgeland in early 2023. The family-owned roastery and coffee shop will offer Ethiopian-inspired food, sandwiches, baked goods and, of course, plenty of coffee and tea options. The new café will also feature an upstairs retail space where you can pick up coffee equipment and accessories for home.

3, 733 1 Ave. N.E., bonocoffee.ca

Cinnaholic opened its first Calgary location in the Beltline in early 2022, and will soon be opening a second plant-based bakery at South Trail Crossing. This will be a great spot to satisfy your cinnamon bun cravings.

15, 4307 130 Ave. S.E., 833-246-3726, cinnaholic.com

Watch for Clay Pot Asian Kitchen, which is slated to open near McMahon Stadium in early 2023.

@claypotyyc

Cloud Naan specializes in freshly baked naan stuffed with mouthwatering fillings (flavours include peri chicken, Philly cheese steak, Afghani mutton and aloo cheese). Watch for the first Calgary location on 17 Avenue S.W.

@cloudnaanyyc

This new coffee shop opening in northeast Calgary promises “a return to the basics – dark, rich coffee, great conversation and community-focused initiatives.”

1A, 215 36 Ave. N.E., congresscoffeeyyc.com

Local coffee chain Deville continues to expand across the city with the opening of its 13th Calgary location at the Calgary International Airport in January.

Calgary International Airport, devillecoffee.ca

Keep an eye out for this new restaurant opening in Calgary.

@eggandspoonyyc

Good Thrift is a fundraiser thrift store that is opening in downtown Calgary. Funds will go towards supporting Good Neighbour and Calgary Community Fridge.

149 5 Ave. S.E., @goodthriftyyc

This Vancouver-based apparel, bags and accessories company is opening its first Alberta location in Calgary’s CF Chinook Centre.

CF Chinook Centre, herschel.ca

Iyycburg has become a popular spot for smash burgers, bubble tea and milkshakes over the past few years. The restaurant is adding to its Sundance and Sage Hill locations with a new eatery in Hillhurst that is set to open soon.

iyycburg.com

Inglewood will soon be home to Jams Diner, a sister restaurant to Jam’s in Airdrie. Look for it in the former Kane’s Harley Diner restaurant space.

1209 9 Ave., @jams_diner

Tired of eating pizza the usual way? Try pizza in a cone at Konz. The franchise is opening its second Calgary location along 17 Avenue S.W. The menu features cone, pressed or flat pizza, pasta, poutine, soft serve, milkshakes and more.

1252 17 Ave. S.W., eatkonz.ca

Lina’s Italian Market is opening a new Italian Piazza in Inglewood that will offer brunch, pizza, pasta, gelato, a café and more. Lina’s will be taking over the space formerly occupied by Bite.

1023 9 Ave. S.E., linasmarket.com

Get excited for this new Asian dessert shop that is opening in Calgary soon.

@mamadessertcanada

Canadian jewellery company Mejuri is opening its first Alberta store in Calgary this year. The brand is known for its beautiful selection of modern earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets and more.

mejuri.com

Slated to open in January, this new Mexican restaurant in the Beltline will feature tasty fare by chef Elia Herrera, who has competed on Top Chef Canada and Top Chef Mexico.

@milpayyc

This restaurant chain specializes in hand-pulled noodles that guests can enjoy in hot, comforting bowls of soup, stir-fries and more. The restaurant’s first Alberta location opened in Edmonton in December to much buzz, and you’ll be able to check it out in Calgary in 2023.

mogouyannoodles.com

If you love Native Tongues Taqueria, you’ll be happy to hear that Thank You Hospitality is opening a second location of the popular Mexican restaurant. Located in A1 Cantina’s former space in Britannia Plaza, this second location will feature the same menu as the original and is set to open on January 16. One of the most exciting additions? An all-seasons patio.

829 49 Ave. S.W., nativetongues.ca

This pizza spot has been operating out of Community Natural Foods since fall 2020. But soon, you’ll be able to pick up its popular pickle or potato pizzas from its new location on 17 Avenue S.W.

140, 515 17 Ave. S.W., pizzafaceyyc.com

Keep an eye out for this new restaurant specializing in Montreal-style poutine opening along Edmonton Trail. Poutinarama will also be serving up hamburgers and hot dogs.

poutinarama.com

The team behind Monogram Coffee is opening a new eatery called Primary Colours, which will be located right beside Monogram’s Britannia coffee shop location. Chef and partner Matthias Fong, who you may remember from his time at River Café and Deane House, is part of the Primary Colours team, so it’s safe to say you can expect delicious fare from this spot.

@primarycolourscafe

Calgary’s home decor scene will have a new addition soon with the arrival of Vancouver-based furniture company Sundays, which is opening a store in Calgary. In the meantime, you can check out some of the company’s pieces at its Calgary outpost within Socality House.

sundays-company.com

Get ready for some tasty Mexican street food when this new taqueria opens in Calgary this year.

@elchefecalgary

Tokyo Street Market’s new location along Macleod Trail will feature both the popular eatery and Nikuya Grocery in the space below it, too.

5828 Macleod Tr. S.W., @tokyostreetmarket.macleod

Missing Tubby Dog? The team behind this popular hot dog joint that closed in 2021 will soon be launching its next phase in the form of a new Beltline lounge that will offer beer, wine, cocktails and yes, a few Tubby Dog favourites.

tubbybar.com

If you’ve lived in or visited B.C., you may have enjoyed a slice of pizza from one of the many Uncle Fatih’s Pizza shops. The pizza chain is opening its first Alberta location in Calgary’s Beltline neighbourhood this year, and promises to be an exciting addition to the city’s pizza scene with its sesame seed-topped crust and veggie-heavy toppings.

108, 506 17 Ave. S.W., unclefatih.com

Stay tuned for this new spot opening in Calgary that will offer brunch, lunch and dinner.

@yyckitchenbar

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Upon walking into Bonnybrook Junction, your first impression may be that it’s another flea market, the kind where you might find a coveted vintage tee or a limited-edition record. But it’s actually the collective organization behind this market that could be considered the “hidden gem.”

Founder Distance Bullock was looking to expand his vintage furniture business, Left and Found, when he had the idea to form a collective of small businesses in 2020. “When this space [that we are in now] became available … that’s when we started inviting other people into it,” says Bullock. “Something that was really important was building a community. We had the ability to bring people together in a good way.”

Located in the Alyth/Bonnybrook industrial area, Bonnybrook Junction launched officially in April 2021. Currently, the collective has five members and six permanent vendors. Members have equal decision-making power and agree to a shared code of values, like working together to promote each other’s businesses and services, sharing resources and committing to being actively anti-racist.

“Being a part of a collective means we actually make decisions together,” says Bullock. “There’s a foundation of morals and ethics and values that we all just kind of align with.”

The collective invites guest sellers to Bonnybrook Junction’s night markets, and offers a sliding payment scale for vendors, so that anyone can afford to take part.

There’s also an in-house performance space, the Beat Nook, run by Bullock’s wife Kara Bullock, that has hosted an anti-racism workshop, a poetry reading and live music. The venue is aiming to be a safe space for BIPOC creators and other under-represented groups to share their work. “COVID has shown us how much we need better systems of support, and [how] we need to help each other,” Kara says. “We’re very much trying to rethink and challenge: What is a business? What does it mean to work together?”

Bonnybrook Junction is open Friday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., 4108 17 St. S.E.

This article appears in the June 2022 issue of Avenue Calgary.

Alberta Distillers Ltd. is often an afterthought in discussions about local distilling. Unlike the trendy craft distilleries, it gets dismissed for being a producer of ordinary spirits in plastic bottles. But, in reality, Alberta Distillers is much more impressive than that, with a history that dates back eight decades and a global repuation. In celebration of International Whisky Day on March 27 (an unofficial holiday celebrated by whisky aficionados, if not their governments), here are four things you should know about this under-the-radar institution.

Alberta Distillers isn’t just one of the oldest whisky distilleries in the city, it’s one of the oldest in Canada. The distillery opened in 1946 in Calgary’s Alyth/Bonnybrook industrial area and is celebrating 76 years in 2022. Alberta Distillers also holds the ranking of largest distillery in Alberta, as all production takes place on its massive 40-acre campus.

When Alberta Distillers was started by Frank McMahon and Max Bell (two very recognizable names in Calgary), the founders sought out a location where they could produce exceptional-tasting products and easily transport said products nationwide. The Alyth/Bonnybrook industrial area’s proximity to the railway fit the bill. In addition to ease in shipping products out, the railway-adjacent location also allowed for easy transportation of locally grown grains into the distillery, which could then be blended with glacial water from the Rocky Mountains.

Alberta Distillers is known worldwide for its expertise with rye, which tends to be a difficult grain as the process of changing the rye starches to sugars using enzymes has a drastic effect on the finished flavour. Rather than leave it up to chance, Alberta Distillers employs its own microbiologist, something most other distilleries don’t do. The role of the microbiologist is to create enzymes to better control the process of changing starch to sugar, leading to a more consistent, finished product. As a result, Alberta Distillers is one of the only distilleries that can create 100-per cent rye whiskies.

Though mostly known at home for everyday products like Alberta Premium, Alberta Distillers has gained international recognition for its special, small-batch spirits. In 2020, the distillery took home numerous awards at the International Whisky Competition, including Best Canadian Whisky, for its Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye and was named Distillery of the Decade at the 2020 Canadian Whisky Awards. Its Northern Keep vodka, made with a blend of Canadian rye and winter wheat, was a finalist in the 2021 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, earning 94 points.

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This article appears in the March 2022 issue of Avenue Calgary.

With 450,000 barrels aging across 10 warehouse buildings at its location, Alberta Distillers is on an entirely different level from the local micro-distilleries that have popped up in recent years. And it is an important player in the story of local spirits. Founded in 1946 by oilman Frank M. McMahon and B.C. distiller George H. Reifel, it is the first and oldest distiller in the province. Its factory, tucked away in the Alyth/Bonnybrook industrial area, still sports the original, polished-hardwood floors in some areas, though the operation has expanded significantly since its inception, growing from four fermenters and six small tanks to more than 30 product and processing tanks.

Though Alberta Distillers is known locally for value-priced whiskies like Alberta Premium, it is an important player on the global market, one of the few producers in the world distilling 100-per cent-rye whisky, considered a Canadian specialty. Former head distiller Rick Murphy, who retired in 2018 after 35 years with the company, says in spite of its long history most people in Calgary don’t even know there’s a major distillery in the city.

Last year, Alberta Distillers won best Canadian distillery at the Canadian Whisky Awards (CWA) and, in 2018, the CWA honoured Murphy with a lifetime achievement award. “Alberta Distillers has a reputation for expertise, in particular with rye mashing, that plays prominently in some of the world markets. In Calgary, and in Canada, it’s almost exclusively known for producing the Dark Horse and value-price brands, which is kind of odd,” says Murphy. “Alberta Distillers produces products that are shipped all over the world – there’s probably no place on the planet that you can go where you won’t find something [from Alberta Distillers].”

1521 34 Ave. S.E., Calgary, albertadistillers.com

The first craft distiller in Alberta Eau Claire Distillery in Turner Valley pays tribute to its unusual origin in its logo, which depicts two draft horses hitched to a plow. The equines reference the preferred pastime of distillery co-founder David Farran – traditional horse-farming using 100-year-old equipment to produce rye and barley. It was over drinks after an arduous evening of harvesting their shared crop back in 2013 that Farran, a former vice-president at Big Rock Brewery, and a group of fellow horse-farming enthusiasts decided to start distilling their grains.

Though provincial legislation at the time required distillers to produce more than a million litres, Farran wasn’t deterred. After a trip to Oregon, where he saw first hand the growth of craft industries like beer, coffee and spirits, he convinced his Big Rock associate and master brewer Larry Kerwin to come on board. The duo ordered a still from Germany and began lobbying to change the legislation. Initially, they were given 18 months to produce the minimum required amount of 500,000 litres per year, but a few months later, in December of 2013, the AGLC eliminated the minimum-production requirements for liquor manufacturers and Eau Claire was free to produce its artisan vodka, gins and flavoured spirits in smaller batches. (Kerwin has since become one of Eau Claire’s master distillers, along with Caitlin Quinn.)

Though it does buy some grain to supplement production, all the cereals harvested in the traditional method by Farran and friends go into Eau Claire’s whiskies, an amount that equates to roughly 37,000 bottles’ worth. (Total whisky output is 50,000 to 75,000 bottles per year.) Its spirits, which vary from straight vodka to creations using prickly pear or even frankincense and myrrh, have gone on to win numerous awards, including a medal at last year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Parlour Gin and a Consumer Choice Award at the U.S.-based Sip Awards.

113 Sunset Blvd. S.W., Turner Valley, eauclairedistillery.ca

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